chloelogoa

             Canine Pancreatitis            

 talalogoa

Pancreatitis causes gut pain and general illness, but it can also kill.  Typically dogs suffering from pancreatitis are quiet, do not want to move much and may have a painful belly, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The pancreas helps to digest food and control the use of foods entering the bloodstream.  Pancreatitis can be overlooked for years if dogs appear "not right", but not ill enough to go to the vet.  Common causes of illness are fatty foods, infection and inflammation.  Dogs may adopt a "praying" position, but this can be confused with other diseases of the abdomen.

Untill now it has often been difficult to diagnose pancreatitis.  However, a recently devised blood test can help to diagnose the condition and allow more holistic treatment, including keeping to a low fat diet and prescribing painkillers and antibiotics if needed.
Harvey Carruthers
reprinted with kind permission from Alastair Balmain
Deputy Editor:Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street SE1 0SU
Tel: 020 3148 4750
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Pancreatitis and Alternative Solutions
The Normal Pancreas and What it Does


darleen  Pancreatitis And Alternative Solutions

by Darleen Rudnick, Pet Nutritionist
http://www.purelypets.com


The pancreas is an elongated, tapered gland that is located behind the stomach. The exocrine area of the pancreas produces digestive juices and the endocrine area makes hormones, such as insulin, that regulates how the body stores and uses food.

Specific Types of Pancreatitis are:

Chronic Pancreatitis (inflammation)
Chronic pancreatitis can be caused by hemochromatosis (a condition of excess iron in the blood), a poor diet and many other factors. Inflammation and fibrosis cause the destruction of functioning glandular tissue in the pancreas. This results in an inability to properly digest fat, caused by a lack of pancreatic enzymes. The production of insulin is also affected. Attacks may become more frequent as the condition progresses.

As the pancreas becomes progressively more scarred, some pets may develop diabetes and/or inability to digest foods, especially fats.

Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis can include, but are not limited to:

 Moderate to severe abdominal pain
 Nausea
 Fever
 Reduced mental acuteness
 Abdominal swelling
 Weight loss
 Fatty stools

Acute Pancreatitis (inflammation)
The chief causes of acute pancreatitis may be caused from an on-going or long-term viral infection, poor diet, stress and from certain medications. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis are similar to chronic pancreatitis.

Symptoms:

 Abdominal pain
 Nausea
 Vomiting
 Weakness
 Anxiety
 Fever
 Abdominal fullness, gaseous
 Abdominal indigestion
 Chills
 Fatty stools
 Anxiety
 Weight loss

Prevention Plan For Treating Pancreatitis Naturally
A prevention plan is a simple method of enhancing the level of nutrition and making lifestyle changes. It is an attempt to address any special needs your pet may have.

Keep in mind that this program does not apply to every pet and therefore it is important to have your pet thoroughly examined by a veterinarian. If you decide to seek natural methods, Purely Pets recommends a consultation with our on-staff nutritionist.

A consultation will include a personalized diet and holistic program suggestions, all custom-tailored to your pet's personal needs. This is particularly imperative in pets with complicated health issues, or if you've done outside reading and have conflicting information.

Feed What is Right for Your Pet
The most important thing to remember when choosing a food for your pet is to choose a food that is right for YOUR pet, not what other people think is right. Raw diets are great, and home cooking is wonderful, but if your pet doesn't do well on it, then you shouldn't continue feeding it.

Some pets suffering from Pancreatitis do very well on a BARF (raw) diet, others do well on a home cooked diet and others only do well on dry or canned food. Every case is different, so it is a matter of experimenting and sticking to what works best. There IS NOT one diet that works for every pet.

In many cases, feeding a very simple diet helps. Diets that seem to be beneficial are chicken and one vegetable, or ground meat and one vegetable. Some pets only do well when brown or white rice is added to the diet. In other cases a high quality dry food can be beneficial.

If you are interested in recipes, please email darleen@purelypets.com.

Structure Meal Times
It is very important to feed small amounts of food and frequent meals. Feeding once a day may lead to many health problems such as hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, and digestive disorders.

When you feed one meal a day, your pet's body produces insulin. Insulin prevents fat cells from releasing fat into the bloodstream, where it can be picked up by other tissues and burned. In other words, high levels of insulin cause low levels of fat burning and high levels of fat storing, the reverse of what you may think. When insulin is not stable in the body, it throws the hormones and brain chemicals out of whack and in turn the body starts storing fat to save itself.

Therefore, it is extremely important to feed 4-5 times a day. When you feed several small meals a day, the body burns fat more effectively.

Recommended feeding schedule:

Breakfast: High quality pet food or homemade food.
Lunch: High quality pet food or homemade food.
Midday: Light Snack.
Dinner: High quality pet food or homemade food.
Before bed: Light snack.

Supplements
Purely Pets does not recommend discontinuing traditional medications cold turkey or discontinuing them at all. This is YOUR decision based on how the following program works. We highly recommend you work closely with your veterinarian.

Although medications can be very effective, some may cause side effects that can eventually lead to other symptoms. Many pet owners are now looking into other methods of treating Pancreatitis. A more natural approach is outlined below.

Supplements Recommended:
Digestive enzymes reduce the stress on the Pancreas. They are catalysts for every process in the body whether it is weight loss, eliminating high cholesterol, breaking down excess protein in tumors, or treating digestive problems, enzymes come to the rescue!

Without digestive enzymes even the most nutritious foods will not be of any use to the body.

Symptoms of Poor Digestion

 Gas or loose stool
 Poor skin condition
 Being lethargic
 Allergies
 Poor health
 Breath or body odor
 Eating own stool
 Poorly working intestine

Purely Pets highly recommends adding Digest Zymez to your pets diet.

Digest Zymez is a capsulated enzyme that can be fed orally or opened and mixed directly into food. This product contains Pancrelipase, Pancreatin, Pepsin, Betain HCI, Fenugreek Seed (reduces intestinal gas, cramping, prevents fatty deposits, kills infections, soothing for ulcerations), Papain, Amylase and Ox Bile Extract.

Mega Pet Daily is an outstanding multiple nutritional supplement. Higher potency, easy to feed gel cap provides daily support of important vitamins and minerals, including the A's, B's, Selenium, Chromium, Zinc, Choline and EPA's, and all the vital nutrients for optimum immunity and health.

In some cases the following is recommended:

Yucca Intensive
Yucca contains steroid saponins which are nature's most powerful anti-inflammatory agents. This product reduces pain without gastric side-effects and is effective for arthritis, bone and joint problems, soft tissue swelling digestive, bowel problems and colic.

Panc'rse & GlucoBalance
This product facilitates in strengthening the pancreas, and promoting better production and utilization of insulin. It also normalizes and restores the organs and glands associated with carbohydrate and sugar metabolism.

Giardia & Parasitic Cleanse
Provides an excellent compound containing bitter principles which activate digestive secretions. Strong acting upon a wide range of worms, amoebas and parasites. Can be used safely to clean out the colon, even with IBS, when parasites are suspected as a trigger.

Rule out a Parasite Infestation
A parasite infestation is a very common problem with dogs and cats. Symptoms of an infestation are -- vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, inability to absorb nutrients, bad breath, skin problems, chronic ear infections, yeast infections, foul odor to the stool, and many other minor and major ailments.

Giardia is a gastrointestinal infection caused by a microscopic parasite called Giardia lamblia. This is a common parasite causing gastrointestinal illness. It is found in the stools of many animals, including rodents, dogs, cats, cattle, and wild animals.

A Giardia infection can be acquired when your pet ingests food or water that has been contaminated with the parasite. It then multiplies in the small intestine. The infection can also be spread person-to-person when hands, which are contaminated with an infected person's stool, are brought in contact with the mouth. Swallowing as few as ten parasites can cause the infection.

Symptoms of Giardia are very similar to Pancreatitis symptoms, so it is essential that your pet be tested for this parasite. This test is normally not done by your veterinarian, so you need to request it. This simple and inexpensive test can save you hundreds of dollars and invasive testing.

Giardia is usually diagnosed through a laboratory examination of a stool sample. Your veterinarian will forward the stool sample to a laboratory that will use a microscope to look for the parasite. Several stool samples need to be examined to detect the parasite.

Eliminate Toxins in the House, Yard and on your Pet
It is important to put as little stress on the body as possible by avoiding toxins that may deplete the immune system.

Avoid the following:

 Carpet powders
 Air fresheners
 Fumes from all bathroom cleaners
 Fumes from bleach
 Fumes from dusting products
 Toxic flea products - If the product states "Hazardous To Humans And Domestic Animals", it is hazardous to your pet
 Toxic shampoos
 Toxic flea collars
 Paint fumes
 Paint chips from lead based paint
 Rawhides - Many are dipped in a solution of salt and bleach
 Cheap painted pet toys
 Red food dye
 Ethoxyquin

Use Bottled Water
Toxic metals such as lead, copper, mercury, and aluminum are often found in drinking water and some pets are very sensitive to these metals.

Exercise Your Pet Daily
Exercise increases the efficiency of the immune system and helps with muscle development, digestion and overall health. A well-conditioned body will work and perform better and increase the ability to carry blood and oxygen to muscles. Exercising burns fat and increases your pet's metabolism.

Be sure your pet gets at least an hour of exercise everyday. However, age, health and weather should be taken into consideration when exercising. Do NOT over exercise older pets, or pets suffering from hypoglycemia, epilepsy, heart problems, during bouts of diarrhea, etc. Pets suffer from exhaustion just as humans do.

Conclusion and Tips for Treating Pancreatitis
Feed what is right for your pet

During bouts of diarrhea, Pedialyte and baby food may help. Plain yogurt replenishes the intestinal tract with friendly bacteria and does help in some cases. Rice can be helpful for bouts of diarrhea, but this is not true in all cases

Large breeds that eat off the floor from a bowl are forced to gulp down their food and this may cause bloating and slow down digestion. Raising the food bowl for them eases the digestive process and causes less discomfort

 Feed small, simple meals throughout the day
 
 Test for Giardia and other parasites at least 3-4 times
 
 Eliminate any food or supplement which seems to upset the digestive tract or aggravate the symptoms
 
 Exercise your pet regularly as this helps with digestion
 
 Give supplements to strengthen the immune system and most importantly give digest enzymes before or during each meal
 
 Avoid using toxins on or around your pet
 
 Offer bottled water. 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Purely Pets!
Email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved.
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick

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THE PET HEALTH LIBRARY

By Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DipABVP
Educational Director, VeterinaryPartner.com 
http://www.veterinarypartner.com
    
Canine Pancreatitis

The Normal Pancreas and What It Does

We eat food, chew it up into a slurry, and swallow it. It travels down the esophagus to the stomach where it is ground up further and enzymes are added to begin protein break-down (digestion). When the food particles are small enough, they are propelled into the small intestine for further digestive treatment and ultimately nutrient absorption. The small intestine has three portions: the duodenum that connects to the stomach, and the jejunum and ileum below. The jejunum and ileum are mostly involved in absorption but the duodenum, being so close to the stomach, is the site of further digestion.

There are two ducts that enter the duodenum near where the stomach contents enter. One duct is for bile, squirted in directly from the liver’s gall bladder. The bile serves to neutralize the acid that the stomach had added, to emulsify (or dissolve) dietary fats for absorption later in the tract, and also to excrete some toxins. The other duct is the pancreatic duct, which squirts in more digestive enzymes so as to break down starches and more protein.

The pancreas is a pale pink glandular organ that nestles cozily just under the stomach and along the duodenum. As a glandular organ, the pancreas is all about secretion, and it has two main jobs: the first job is the secretion of digestive enzymes to help us break down the food we eat, the second job being secretion of insulin and glucagon (to regulate sugar metabolism). The digestive enzymes are the part of the story that concerns us in pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis Is Inflammation of the Pancreas
In pancreatitis, inflammation disrupts the normal integrity of the pancreas. Digestive enzymes that are normally safely stored in granules are released prematurely where they digest the body itself. The result can be a metabolic catastrophe. The living tissue becomes further inflamed and the tissue damage quickly involves the adjacent liver. Toxins released from this orgy of tissue destruction are released into the circulation and can cause a body-wide inflammatory response. If the pancreas is affected so as to disrupt its ability to produce insulin, diabetes mellitus can result; this diabetes can be either temporary or permanent.

Special disasters include the disruption of “surfactants” in the lung tissue that normally keep the tiny air-filled alveoli from collapsing after each exhaled breath. Without surfactants, the alveoli close up and respiratory failure results.

Also, there is a syndrome called Weber-Christian syndrome in which fats throughout the body are destroyed.

Pancreatitis is one of the chief risk factors for the development of what is called disseminated intravascular coagulation, or DIC, which is basically a massive uncoupling of normal blood clotting and clot dissolving mechanisms. This leads to abnormal simultaneous bleeding and clotting of blood throughout the body.

Pancreatic encephalopathy (brain damage) can occur if the fats protecting the central nervous system become digested.

The good news is that most commonly the inflammation is confined to the area of the liver and pancreas but even with this limitation, pancreatitis can be painful and life-threatening.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic, mild or severe.

What Causes Pancreatitis
In most cases we never find out but we do know some events that can cause pancreatitis:

• Reflux of duodenal contents into the pancreatic duct. The pancreas has numerous safety mechanisms to prevent self-digestion. One of these mechanisms is the fact that the enzymes it creates are stored in an inactive form. They are harmless until they are mixed with activating enzymes. The strongest activating enzymes are made by duodenal cells, which means that the digestive enzymes do not actually activate until they are out of the pancreas and mixing with food in the duodenum. If duodenal fluids backwash up the pancreatic duct and into the pancreas, enzymes are prematurely activated and pancreatitis results. This is apparently the most common pancreatitis mechanism in humans, though it is not very common in veterinary patients.

• Concurrent hormonal imbalance predisposes a dog to pancreatitis. Such conditions include: diabetes, hypothyroidism, and hypercalcemia. The first two conditions are associated with altered fat metabolism that predisposes to pancreatitis, and the latter condition involves elevated blood calcium that activates stored digestive enzymes.

• Use of certain drugs can predispose to pancreatitis (sulfa-containing antibiotics such as trimethoprim sulfa or chemotherapy agents such as azathioprine).

• Trauma to the pancreas as from a car accident or even surgical manipulation can cause inflammation and thus pancreatitis.

Miniature Schnauzers are predisposed to pancreatitis as they commonly have altered fat metabolism.

Signs of Pancreatitis
The classical signs in dogs are appetite loss, vomiting, diarrhea, painful abdomen, and fever.

Making the Diagnosis
A reliable blood test has been lacking for this disease. Traditionally, blood levels of amylase and lipase (two pancreatic enzymes) have been used. When their levels are especially high, this is felt to be a reasonable sign of pancreatitis, but still these tests are not as sensitive or specific as we would prefer. They can elevate dramatically with corticosteroid use, with intestinal perforation, kidney disease, or even dehydration. Some experts advocate measuring lipase and amylase on fluid from the belly rather than on blood but this has not been fully investigated and is somewhat invasive.

A newer test called the PLI or pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity test has come to be important. Lipase is one of the pancreatic digestive enzymes and small traces are normally present in the circulation. These levels jump dramatically in pancreatitis and the diagnosis can be confirmed with a less expensive and non-invasive test. A regular lipase level measures all forms of lipase, not just those of a pancreatic source; this is test is specific for pancreatic lipase. The problem is that technology needed to run this test is unique and the test can only been run in certain facilities on certain days. Results are not necessarily available rapidly enough to help a very sick patient.

More recently a new test called the SPEC cPL (specific canine pancreatic lipase) test has come to be the test of choice. This test is a newer generation immunological test for canine pancreatic lipase and can be run overnight by a reference lab. This test is able to detect 83% of pancreatitis cases (the test is 83% sensitive) and excludes other possible diseases in 98% of cases (i.e., the test is 98% specific for pancreatitis). There is no comparable test for cats at this time.

Radiographs can show a widening of the angle of the duodenum against the stomach, which indicates a swelling of the pancreas. Most veterinary hospitals have the ability to take radiographs but this type of imaging is not very sensitive in detecting pancreatitis and only is able to find 24% of cases.

Ultrasound, on the other hand, detected 68% of cases and provides the opportunity to image other organs and even collect fluid from the belly easily. When one balances rapid results and accuracy, this test may be the best.

In some cases, surgical exploration is the only way to make the correct diagnosis.

Treatment
The passage of food through the duodenum is a strong stimulus to the pancreas. In the treatment of canine pancreatitis we do not want any stimulation of the pancreas; we want the pancreas to rest. This means no food and no water for 2 to 3 days (IV fluid support prevents dehydration).

Fluid support will generally require potassium supplementation as potassium depletes in pancreatitis. Blood pH must be tracked as well. A critical patient with pancreatitis will need 24 hour care and blood test monitoring several times a day. A plasma transfusion represents a special type of fluid therapy and helps provide special proteins that inhibit pancreatic enzymes. Whether or not the protection afforded by plasma is real or theoretical is still being worked out but since it is difficult to go wrong with a plasma transfusion, do not be surprised if your veterinarian uses this approach.

Pancreatitis is a painful condition and pain management is not only humane but important in recovery. Untreated pain affects the immune system and increases mortality. Injectable pain medications, fentanyl patches, and even continuous drips can be used effectively to control pain. Additional medications to control nausea are also commonly used in the management of this condition. Antibiotics are often used because even though pancreatitis is not a bacterial disease, bacterial invasion from the diseased intestine is a common occurrence.

Once the patient has started to eat again, a low fat diet (such as one of the prescription high fiber diets) is important to minimize pancreatic stimulation. Since there is potential for the pancreas to always have a chronic smoldering bit of inflammation, long-term use of a low-fat diet is likely to be recommended.

Beware of Diabetes Mellitus
When the inflammation subsides in the pancreas, some scarring is inevitable. When 80% of the pancreas is damaged, insulin cannot be produced, and diabetes mellitus results. This may or may not be permanent depending on the capacity for the pancreas’ tissue to recover. See more information on the management of diabetes mellitus.
Date Published: 1/2/2006 12:27:00 PM
This work was originally published by Veterinary Information
Network, Inc. (VIN) and is republished with VIN's permission.
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Diagnosis and Management of Acute Pancreatitis in the Dog and Cat


chloebutton  talabutton  

The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.